Nothing Wrong with Going Soft
by InzanityFirez
Summary: Dave defeated Morgana, Balthazar and Veronica are free, and it's a happy ending all around.  Except that Dave is sure Balthazar is going to leave, and he doesn't quite want to let his master go.  Good thing Balthazar has other plans.  Friendship fluff.


Dave Stutler should have been about the happiest fellow on the planet. He'd defeated Morgana, queen of all things evil, he'd proven himself Merlin's successor-_the_ Prime Merlinian, and he'd gotten the girl of his dreams. Scratch that, the girl who'd been in every dream about girls he'd had since he was a kid. Things were looking up from his previously unmarked life, except for one little problem.

Dave was certain he was about to have to say 'goodbye' and it was about the last thing he wanted to do.

Dave had done his 'duty'. He'd gotten a crash-course in magic and defeated Morgana, and he'd reunited his master Balthazar with his long-time love, Veronica. Now the pair could finally have their 'normal' life and happy ending that had so long been denied them. And that being the case, obviously, Balthazar wasn't going to have the time or need to be playing master to a Prime Merlinian with no centuries old hag to defeat. Because Dave Stutler had kicked butt and taken names, and now...

...Had an army of butterflies in his stomach the size of soccer balls over this one, simple task.

Simple. Yeah right.

Dave inhaled sharply as he prepared to knock. Not that he really needed to, since it was his work space, but he'd let Balthazar and Veronica take it over while they settled their arrangements. Since they'd be living together. Somewhere.

Elsewhere.

"I can't do this. I can't do this. Oh, man, I can't do this-" Dave muttered to himself as he started to lower his hand, only to jerk in surprise when the door opened to reveal Balthazar, who watched him with a faintly lifted brow.

"Dave?"

"O-Oh, hi there...Balthazar...you look, uh, better. Healing...well. Since...y'know, yesterday..." Balthazar stared at Dave with a blank expression, and Dave grimaced internally as he fumbled over his words. So much for his new-found confidence. _Someone, just kill me now. _

Balthazar did look much better though, considering he'd gotten smacked around and been dead for a little while. Dave was grateful for that at least, and that he'd been able to revive his friend in the end.

"Yes, well, Veronica is an excellent healer." Balthazar supplied with something like amusement in his voice, and then he backed away from the door to allow Dave to step in.

Dave smiled weakly as he moved past Balthazar and headed down the stairs to the work space slash training grounds below. "So where is Veronica?"

"She asked for a little time to walk outside alone. She is enjoying her freedom. As am I." Balthazar added the last part almost too softly to hear, and Dave felt like an intruder already.

_Crap, crap, crap_. His mind was a litany of regrets that he had come. This was going to be awkward, and Balthazar was going to think he was a nut, and-

"You seem...nervous, Dave. Is something wrong?" Balthazar's tone was faintly concerned.

"Wrong?" Dave scoffed, even as he winced with his back turned to Balthazar. "We just beat the ultimate evil and saved the world, what could be wrong?" He chuckled, indeed nervously, as he turned to face his master with a plastered-on grin.

Balthazar studied his apprentice silently a moment before he said that low, master-tone that made Dave feel like he'd gotten caught with his hands in the cookie jar _and_ the candy bowl. "Dave..."

And that was it, just that one word, his name spoken in that faintly warning tone, that now-familiar, gruff voice...

That was all it took.

Dave started spouting off at a mile a minute. "Alright, look, Balthazar. I know you're going to leave now that we beat Morgana. And I want you to know that I'm totally okay with it-because I know you and Veronica have been waiting for...well, way too long, and if you want to...fly off into the sunset-"

_Fly off into the sunset? _Balthazar blinked incredulously at his fast-talking apprentice, somewhat amused despite himself even as he was a bit puzzled.

"-or, y'know, whatever, that's totally cool too...and I understand, I mean, it's not like-"

"Dave."

"-you could stay forever, I mean, you're really old already-er-that's not what I meant. You're not _old_, you've just been alive for...a really long time...anyway! You-"

"Dave..." A flicker of annoyance laced Balthazar's tone.

"-have your own life to get back to and you don't need an apprentice underfoot if you and Veronica decide to start a little family, or even if you don't-because I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do and you want your space and you'll want 'alone time', for, uh, well you know. Yeah...um, so basically, I just wanted you to know, that I understand why you're leaving, and-"

"_Dave_. I. Am not. Leaving." Balthazar said firmly.

"-there's nothing wrong with that at all, and-wait...what?" Dave trailed off suddenly as he stared at Balthazar. "You're not...leaving?"

"_No_." Balthazar shook his head before he regarded Dave. "What made you think that I was?"

Dave could feel a flush creeping upwards along his neck. "W-Well...I mean...we defeated Morgana, and Veronica was freed...and you said she wanted a normal life, so...I assumed..."

Balthazar's slightly puzzled expression lifted as understanding dawned and he chuckled lightly. "So that's what this it about..." he muttered, and he chuckled again, much to Dave's own growing puzzlement.

"Was I wrong? I mean...I thought.."

"No, you're not wrong." Balthazar assured him.

Dave deflated immediately. "So...then you _are_ leaving?"

A finger snaked out to flick his forehead, and Dave winced. "Ow! What was that for?" he complained as he rubbed his forehead.

"Didn't I just get through saying that I was not?" Another long-suffering sigh from Balthazar, and then he smiled slightly. "Veronica and I...would like to have a normal life." he noted the way that Dave's shoulders slumped faintly, and he continued. "We would also like to have that life include the training of the Prime Merlinian. Therefore, as the Prime Merlinian lives _here_, naturally, we will be staying as well." Balthazar said in a very serious tone, one that belied the amusement in his eyes.

All at once, Dave's expression lit up, hopeful and earnest-and Balthazar fought the urge to pat the boy on the head. He was admittedly endearing, more so than Balthazar could have guessed. In fact...for all that their time together had been decidedly short, Dave had grown on Balthazar, and even Veronica professed to being intrigued by him and his loyalty to Balthazar. The loyalty and friendship that had incited Dave to attempt to revive him when all logic said that it was impossible. But then, as Merlin always said-

The only thing that was truly impossible, was for something to _be_ impossible.

Balthazar and Veronica might have dreamt of children once, but that had long since passed. It was a new era, and this was not the age they had been accustomed to. They would spend the rest of their no-longer immortal lives in it, and that would be that. In the meanwhile, however, Balthazar doubted that he would feel the absence of something like a son or daughter.

After all, he had Dave. He was, all at once, Balthazar's closest friend, his sole apprentice, the savior of the world [and his life], and the closest thing to a son Balthazar would likely ever know.

"So...you're really staying? Like...for good?"

Balthazar didn't even bother to try to stop the smile that curved his lips. "Yes, Dave. I'm staying."

Dave grinned and Balthazar felt a rush of warmth and affection towards the young man before him. He curved his lips into a smirk as he added. "After all, someone has to keep an eye on you and make sure that your training is suitable for the Prime Merlinian."

Dave blinked at that. "What do you mean? ...I thought, y'know, since I defeated Morgana..."

The smirk widened as he drawled. "Oh, Dave, you didn't think that little task of defeating Morgana meant you were done training, did you? You're still a long ways from being a master sorcerer. There's _years _of training to go."

Dave swallowed hard and muttered. "Oh, goody." But there was unmistakable relief in his expression, and perhaps a flicker of anticpation.

Silence passed between the two a moment before Dave added hesitantly. "I...uh...I'm glad you're not going. That you're staying."

"Really?" Balthazar feigned surprise. "And here I thought you'd be leaping at the possiblity of getting rid of your meddlesome master."

Dave grinned again. "Yeah, well...for a meddlesome master, you're pretty cool."

Balthazar's smile returned, he couldn't help it, and he set his hand on Dave's shoulder as he gave it a firm squeeze. He hesitated before he spoke more seriously. "Thank you, Dave. Truly. For everything. None of this would have been possible without you." Balthazar met the other's gaze evenly.

And it was true. Balthazar and Veronica, not to mention the rest of the world, had a future thanks to Dave. And thanks to Dave, Balthazar had regained his reason to truly live, rather than to merely exist. He had the love of his life back, and an apprentice to guide for the rest of his blessedly mortal lifespan, free of obligations and threats to the world. It was the first taste of peace he'd ever really had, and Balthazar relished it immensely.

Dave's eyes widened slightly and he seemed sheepish a moment before he smiled back and patted Balthazar's hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, well, like I said, I had a pretty cool master teaching me, so...yeah."

"Careful, Dave, all of these compliments might start to give me an ego." Balthazar said thoughtfully as he lowered his hand.

Dave snorted. "Might _start_?" At Balthazar's dry look, he chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I mean...sure. My bad."

Balthazar and Dave fell silent again for a moment before Dave piped up quickly. "I could use some breakfast. Could you use some breakfast?" I bet Veronica would like some too, she's probably pretty hungry..."

"Breakfast would be...nice." Balthazar agreed as he pulled up his coat from a nearby chair.

"Breakfast it is! Pancakes, pancakes sound good. Do you mind if I invite Becky? I mean, she already knows about the whole 'magic' thing anyway, so..."

_The 'magic' thing...times certainly have changed... _Balthazar mused to himself with a faint smile before he spoke aloud. "The more the merrier."

Dave beamed. "Great! I'll call her now. She'll be glad to hear you aren't leaving."

Balthazar wasn't certain about that either way, but Dave was pleased at least, and that counted for something. "Glad to hear that I'm not 'flying off into the sunset', you mean?" Balthazar teased, and he chuckled when Dave turned slightly pink.

"It was a reasonable assumption!" Dave protested.

"Of course it was, Dave."

Dave scrunched his nose and sighed, but the boy was smiling as he pulled out his phone to call Becky. In fact, he seemed to have developed a slight bounce in his step since having been reassured that Balthazar would not be leaving.

Balthazar watched Dave as he chattered away on the phone, and yet again, he found himself smiling. Dave had the uncanny ability to make him do so, not unlike Veronica. Any more moments like this, and people might say that Balthazar Blake had gone soft.

Which, he reflected as he watched Dave fondly, and thought of Veronica with her soft smile, might not be a bad thing.

"-And guess what? Balthazar's not leaving! He and Veronica are going to stay. So...breakfast? Great!" Dave glanced back. "Balthazar, Becky's coming-" he turned his head away again. "-Yeah, can't wait-" Dave continued his conversation as he headed out the door, and left Balthazar to close it behind him. Dave was happy, and truth be told, for the first time in centuries, so was Balthazar.

Balthazar smiled.

_Not a bad thing at all..._

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**So, it started out as Dave, and then ended on Balthazar...and was meant to be just a fluffy bit of Dave being all worried Balthazar was leaving and Balthazar being...Balthazar and reassuring him. Or something. XD I haven't watched the movie in a bit, but I saw there was a section for it here and really wanted to write on it, so hopefully I didn't screw anything up. XD Leave me verbal reviews, if you're so inclined. XD They bring joy to my soulll. I adore you all endlessly! [And seriously want a sequel cause I lurved this movie despite what the nonsensical critics say XD] And Nick Cage should get a hug too...I digress! Lurve, Witchy~ XD**


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